Roland DG is comprehensive about cancel Dakar rally

Past Friday, the Dakar rally was called off by the organisers, the ASO, due to the insecure situation in Mauritania. Participants are disappointed, but sponsor Roland DG understands the decision of the organisation.

Belgian singer Koen Wauters and his copilot Dimitri Dejonghe would start on Saturday in Lisbon for the 30th edition of the Dakar rally. But on Friday, the ASO announced to cancel the rally due to the unsafe situation in Mauritania, where the participants would drive eight of the fifteen stages. In this country, four French tourists were murdered on Christmas Eve by an Islamic terrorist organisation linked to al-Qaeda. That’s why the French government advised against the Dakar rally. But also the threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations were important reasons for cancelling.

Participants and sponsors are disappointed, but are comprehensive about the decision. For Roland DG – one of the important sponsors of Koen Wauters’ team – the safety of the participants and their entourage prevails. The sponsor regrets that the rally won’t be taking place and hopes that the cancelling of this edition won’t compromise the further existence of the rally. Roland Musical Instruments has been sponsoring the AD Dakar rally team for many years, but this was the first time that Roland DG was one of the most important sponsors.

With this sponsoring, the company wanted to promote the application possibilities of its devices. The stickers on the cars and trucks of the Telenet Dakar rally team were made with Roland DG’s integrated print and cut machine, namely the SP-300V.

The cancelling of the Dakar rally is not only a disappointment for Roland DG Benelux. It’s a setback for the whole Roland DG group, because other cars were also sponsored by the JV’s, that is by Roland DG Iberia.